Description:

• Slender forest climbers with much-branched woody stems from rhizomes with swollen roots
• Leaves alternate, sessile, parallel-veined with slight reticulate venation; stipules and similar structures 0
• Flowers regular, bisexual, small, in few-flowered, lax, axillary cymes
• Tepals 3 + 3, forming a short broad tube with lobes equal, spreading
• Stamens 3 + 3, arising from lower half of perianth tube, extending to mouth; filaments free, terete; anthers introrse, versatile
• Ovary superior, 3-locular, attenuate at base; ovules axile, few; style trigonous; stigma apical, obtuse, tripartite
• Fruit a berry with a short basal stipe, white
• Seeds 3-15

Nomenclature:

• Luzuriagaceae
  • Dahlgren et al.: 135 (1985)
  • Obermeyer: 83 (1992)

Distribution & Notes:

• Global: Genera 4 or 5 with 7 or 9 species, S South America, Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand
• Southern Africa: Genus 1, species 1

References:

• DAHLGREN, R.M.T., CLIFFORD, H.T. & YEO, P.F. 1985. The families of the monocotyledons. Springer-Verlag, Berlin
• OBERMEYER, A.A. 1992. Luzuriagaceae. Flora of southern Africa 5,3

Resources:

• Luzuriagaceae genus: Behnia